Sumitomo Life Insurance Co. Increases Stake in CME Group Inc. $CME

Key Points

• Sumitomo Life Insurance increased its stake in CME Group by 13.9% in the fourth quarter, ending with 50,438 shares valued at about $13.8 million.
• CME Group posted strong quarterly results, beating earnings and revenue estimates with EPS of $3.36 and revenue of $1.88 billion, while revenue rose 14.5% year over year.
• The company also announced a quarterly dividend of $1.30 per share and highlighted several growth initiatives, including new equity index futures, expanded 24/7 trading for select commodities, and new crypto index futures.

Sumitomo Life Insurance Co. lifted its stake in shares of CME Group Inc. (NASDAQ:CME - Free Report) by 13.9% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 50,438 shares of the financial services provider's stock after acquiring an additional 6,137 shares during the period. Sumitomo Life Insurance Co.'s holdings in CME Group were worth $13,774,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Asset Dedication LLC lifted its holdings in shares of CME Group by 64.9% during the 4th quarter. Asset Dedication LLC now owns 94 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $26,000 after acquiring an additional 37 shares during the period. FNY Investment Advisers LLC purchased a new position in shares of CME Group during the 4th quarter worth about $27,000. Hilton Head Capital Partners LLC purchased a new position in shares of CME Group during the 4th quarter worth about $28,000. Legacy Wealth Managment LLC ID lifted its holdings in shares of CME Group by 191.9% during the 4th quarter. Legacy Wealth Managment LLC ID now owns 108 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $29,000 after acquiring an additional 71 shares during the period. Finally, Global Wealth Strategies & Associates lifted its holdings in shares of CME Group by 1,250.0% during the 4th quarter. Global Wealth Strategies & Associates now owns 108 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $30,000 after acquiring an additional 100 shares during the period. 87.75% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at CME Group

In other news, insider Hilda Harris Piell sold 5,753 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, May 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $304.63, for a total transaction of $1,752,536.39. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 27,702 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $8,438,860.26. This trade represents a 17.20% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Terrence A. Duffy sold 35,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $298.51, for a total transaction of $10,447,850.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 55,630 shares of the company's stock, valued at $16,606,111.30. The trade was a 38.62% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 44,044 shares of company stock valued at $13,297,507. 0.30% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

CME Group Stock Up 2.8%

Shares of NASDAQ:CME opened at $269.53 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.02, a current ratio of 1.02 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.13. CME Group Inc. has a 52-week low of $244.56 and a 52-week high of $329.16. The company has a 50 day moving average of $284.79 and a two-hundred day moving average of $288.07. The company has a market capitalization of $97.67 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.00, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.93 and a beta of 0.21.

CME Group (NASDAQ:CME - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 22nd. The financial services provider reported $3.36 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.11 by $0.25. CME Group had a net margin of 63.19% and a return on equity of 15.42%. The company had revenue of $1.88 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.77 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $2.80 earnings per share. CME Group's revenue for the quarter was up 14.5% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts forecast that CME Group Inc. will post 12.28 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

CME Group Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 25th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, June 9th will be given a dividend of $1.30 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, June 9th. This represents a $5.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.9%. CME Group's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 44.37%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. The Goldman Sachs Group cut their price objective on shares of CME Group from $275.00 to $267.00 and set a "sell" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, April 23rd. Weiss Ratings reissued a "buy (a-)" rating on shares of CME Group in a research report on Friday, May 29th. Piper Sandler increased their target price on shares of CME Group from $313.00 to $329.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 15th. Wall Street Zen raised shares of CME Group from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Saturday. Finally, Rothschild & Co Redburn raised shares of CME Group from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and increased their target price for the stock from $316.00 to $323.00 in a research report on Thursday. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have assigned a Buy rating, six have assigned a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $305.71.

CME Group News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting CME Group this week:

• Positive Sentiment: CME announced four new E-mini futures contracts tied to broad-market equity benchmarks, plus new Micro E-mini options on the S&P 500 and Nasdaq-100. These launches could attract more trading volume by giving investors additional, lower-cost ways to hedge and gain market exposure. CME Group to Expand Equity Index Suite with Launch of Four New E-mini Futures Contracts
• Positive Sentiment: The company also said it will expand 24/7 trading for WTI crude oil and gold, which could improve price discovery and make CME’s metals and energy products more attractive to global traders operating outside normal market hours. CME Group to Expand 24/7 Trading for WTI Crude Oil and Gold
• Positive Sentiment: CME launched Nasdaq CME Crypto Index futures and is moving deeper into digital-asset derivatives, giving investors regulated exposure to major cryptocurrencies and potentially opening another growth avenue for the exchange. CME Group Launches Crypto Index Futures Tracking Bitcoin, Solana and XRP
• Neutral Sentiment: Erste Group Bank slightly raised its FY2026 EPS estimate for CME, signaling stable earnings expectations rather than a major change in outlook. MarketBeat report on CME estimate update
• Negative Sentiment: Some commentary around the CFTC’s crypto oversight has raised concerns about regulatory pressure and market criticism, which could create uncertainty for CME’s expanding crypto-related products. CFTC’s Lone Chair Selig Expands Grip Over Crypto and Prediction Markets

CME Group Profile

CME Group Inc is a global markets company that operates some of the world's largest and most liquid derivatives exchanges, including the Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME), the Chicago Board of Trade (CBOT), the New York Mercantile Exchange (NYMEX) and COMEX. The firm offers futures and options contracts across a broad range of asset classes — including interest rates, equity indexes, foreign exchange, energy, agricultural commodities and metals — and serves a diverse client base of institutional investors, commercial hedgers, brokers and retail participants.

The company's core services include electronic trading on the CME Globex platform, central clearing through CME Clearing, and distribution of market data, indexes and analytics.

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